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Author
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Topic: Richard Farrimond, back-up PS (1947-2026)
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SPACEFACTS
Member Posts: 424
From: Germany
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 03-08-2026 01:26 AM
   
Rob Coppinger, editor of SpaceFlight magazine, wrote me: Mr Farrimond passed away at his home in England on 26 February at about 4pm GMT. From Wikipedia: In July 1984, he [Richard Alfred Farrimond] was chosen, from the candidates of RAF and Royal Navy, as the backup crew payload specialist to fly with the Space Shuttle mission STS-61-H, which was planned to deliver the British Skynet 4A satellite to space. However, after the Challenger accident this space flight was cancelled... |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 3288
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-08-2026 04:41 AM
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issman1
Member Posts: 1223
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-08-2026 05:35 AM
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East-Frisian
Member Posts: 698
From: Germany
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-08-2026 07:17 AM
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Jeff
Member Posts: 647
From: Fayetteville, NC. USA
Registered: May 2009
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posted 03-08-2026 08:40 AM
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MartinAir
Member Posts: 504
From:
Registered: Oct 2020
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posted 03-08-2026 10:57 AM
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dom
Member Posts: 1145
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 03-08-2026 02:31 PM
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SpaceCadet1983
Member Posts: 576
From: Pacific NW, United States
Registered: May 2012
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posted 03-08-2026 05:06 PM
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dss65
Member Posts: 1425
From: Sandpoint, ID, USA
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 03-08-2026 06:53 PM
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Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1711
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
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posted 03-09-2026 02:08 AM
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onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1561
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 03-09-2026 09:16 AM
Lt Col Farrimond, British Army (ret.) was backup to Sqdn Ldr Nigel Wood RAF, who would have become the first Briton in space (Helen Sharman would have that honor in 1991). He later worked for the builder of the Skynet satellites after he left the service. He trained with Barbara Morgan, backup for Christa McAuliffe, as a Payload Specialist at the same time. Later, when Morgan became a NASA astronaut and launched on a Shuttle mission, Farrimond was invited by her to attend the launch. When he retired from the aerospace industry, he continued academic studies, this time in history, at King's College, London. There he wrote his Master's thesis on Britain in space, and subsequently on the Australian general in command of Anzac troops in Gallipoli during WW1 for his PhD, which later was published as a book and was well-received. |
Kite
Member Posts: 1221
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 03-10-2026 08:03 AM
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rjb1elec
Member Posts: 448
From: Merseyside, England
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 03-10-2026 01:56 PM
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cddfspace
Member Posts: 722
From: Morris County, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-11-2026 01:48 PM
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mode1charlie
Member Posts: 1532
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 03-11-2026 02:41 PM
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MSS
Member Posts: 1132
From: Europe
Registered: May 2003
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posted 03-11-2026 02:49 PM
Richard Alfred RIP. |
eurospace
Member Posts: 2691
From: Berlin, Germany
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 03-13-2026 10:57 PM
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Lewis007
Member Posts: 191
From: Geldermalsen, the Netherlands
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 03-14-2026 12:28 AM
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Neil DC
Member Posts: 215
From: Middletown, NJ, USA
Registered: May 2010
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posted 03-14-2026 11:37 AM
I had the pleasure of meeting Lt-Colonel Farrimond a couple of times. Firstly after all four British astronaut candidates had been selected in 1984. The British Interplanetary Society (BIS) hosted a dinner in their honor, at their headquarters in London. A second time, many years later. He was a true gentleman. In 2013 he published a small book "Britain and Human Space Flight" through BIS publishing. It covered most of the flown British astronauts including those who had taken US citizenship. The forward was by Helen Sharman. One can only imagine how things would have been if the Skynet astronauts had flown into space. Deepest sympathy to his family. |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 1899
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 03-15-2026 07:01 AM
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3934
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-16-2026 06:10 PM
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capoetc
Member Posts: 2439
From: McKinney TX (USA)
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-16-2026 10:17 PM
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